Sprint’s HTC Evo One May Bring Back the Kickstand

HTC’s One X smartphone was the toast of the tech world earlier this week, with the international version scoring rave reviews from Engadget and The Verge. According to severalreports, a variant dubbed the Evo One will soon break cover with Sprint for folks in the United States.

That’s all well and good, but what I’m most excited about right now is a possible return of the kickstand to HTC’s Evo line. As Android Life reports, the Evo One has a svelte red bar in the back that props up the phone for video viewing.

HTC first used a kickstand in the original Evo 4G, which launched in 2010, but left it off last year’s Evo 3D. Verizon’s HTC Thunderbolt and T-Mobile’s HTC HD7 Windows Phone also have kickstands, but in general the idea hasn’t caught on among phone and tablet makers.

I can understand why. For phones with thin, detachable back panels, like Samsung’s Galaxy S II, an integrated kickstand just wouldn’t fit. And I imagine some people are snobbish about breaking up a clean hardware design with an extra piece of plastic or metal–one that could easily snap off.

But personally, I’ve always liked the idea of the kickstand, especially for phones with jumbo displays. I’ve even hoped that kickstands would make their way to tablets. (Archos is the only tablet maker I know of who’s done it.) If you need to prop up your device, and integrated kickstand is simpler and cheaper than bulky cases or floppy Smart Covers. Kudos to HTC for bringing it back.

As for the rest of the Evo One, rumored specs include a 4.7-inch, 720p display, a dual-core Snapdragon processor and possibly support for Sprint’s upcoming 4G LTE network. Sprint and HTC are holding a press event tonight, so odds are we’ll find out more then.